Chiefs’ contract specialist — credited with Mahomes’ extension — leaves for NFC team
The Kansas City Chiefs have lost a longtime front-office staffer to the Carolina Panthers.
Brandt Tilis, the Chiefs’ vice president of football operations who’d been with the team 14 years, accepted a similar role with Carolina on Wednesday.
In a news release, the Panthers named Tilis their executive vice president of football operations.
“It’s great to add Brandt and his experience to our organization,” Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said. “He comes from a championship-caliber team in Kansas City and will play a lead role in our front office.”
The Panthers said Tilis will be responsible for “all football administration and non-coaching matters related to operations, equipment, video, and analytics, among other areas.”
Tilis, who joined the Chiefs as a salary cap/contract analyst in 2010, is best known for helping draw up quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ initial 10-year, $450-million contract extension in July 2020. At the time, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach thanked Tilis for his efforts with the deal.
In addition, the Chiefs credited Tilis in his bio for serving “as the club’s lead player contract negotiator” while “spearheading every extension and free agent deal for the Chiefs since 2017.”
The Panthers twice interviewed Tilis for their general manager opening, both in 2020 and earlier this year. Morgan was hired as GM on Jan. 22.
Tilis was the Chiefs’ VP of football operations for the last three seasons.
